Settlement Value Herninated Disc with Steroid Injections

A disc herniation is a type of disc injury that is frequently caused by car accidents. The impact of a car accident often exerts significant force and pressure on the spine. This pressure can cause a tear and rupture or bulge of the spinal discs, which act as pads or cushions for the spine. This injury is referred to as a herniated disc.

Our firm has handled scores and scores of herniated disc injury cases. Our first trial at Miller & Zois was a herniated disc verdict in 2003. Our doors had been open for about a month. The defendant offered $25,000 to settle a no property damage herniated disc injury case where the most aggressive treatment was steroid injections.

Laura Zois and I tried the case and we got a $300,000 verdict. Our firm has handled these cases ever since. We have earned millions in settlements and verdicts in herniated disc injury cases.

Treatment Options for Herniated Disc Injuries

Having a herniated disc is like saying you are an actor. You might be Tom Hanks bringing in $20 million a film. Or you could be the understudy at a local dinner theater. About 20% of us have a herniated disc. Many of us do not even know we have a herniation because we cannot feel it. Some of us have very slight herniations that cause great pain every day.

So there is a food chain of increasingly intensive treatment when dealing with a herniated disc that goes something like this:

(1) Conservative Treatment. The first level of treatment typically involves a course of anti-inflammatory drugs combined with physical therapy.

(2) Steroid Injections. If the initial conservative treatments are not successful, then the next level treatment option is often steroid injections. The steroids are injected into the spine in order to reduce swelling and alleviate pressure on the nerves caused by the disc herniation.

(3) Surgery. If both conservative treatment and steroid injections fail, the third level of treatment options for disc herniation is surgery. Surgical treatment options range from minimally invasive procedures to open back surgery.

My Call with a Disc Injury Client

I was talking to a client last week who is receiving steroid injections for a C3-C4 herniated disc after a rear-end car accident. She was saying that she wanted to get the case resolved, if possible, and get the surgery next year when she had fewer commitments.

Now, I don’t want my client to think I’m suggesting getting surgery to improve the value of her case. Because I’m not. But the reality is that if she is going to get the surgery, she should wait to resolve her case until after the surgery because I believe you could drive a truck through the difference between herniated disc injury cases that are treated with steroid injection and those that require surgery.

Value of Steroid Injections

So how much of a difference is there between steroid injections and surgery? I pulled some recent verdicts to see what the steroid injection verdicts look like. Please keep in mind these are not Miller & Zois cases, but cases we found through research. My need for clarity on this point will become clear in about 2 seconds.

Janson v. Scaccio (2017): Plaintiff was rear-ended while at a red light. She sought damages for cervical disc herniation. Her treatment included therapy and a course of steroid injections. She was awarded $5,200.

Zopp v. State Farm (2015): Plaintiff was rear-ended and suffered cervical disc herniation. Her treatment included an extensive course of epidermal steroid injections and she was found to have 18% permanent impairment of cervical spine. The jury awarded the Plaintiff $12,500.

Leitzel v. Oji (2016): Plaintiff was a passenger in a car that was t-boned at an intersection by the defendant. Plaintiff’s primary injury was cervical disc herniation, which was treated with steroid injection therapy. He was awarded damages of $12,250.

Enweze v. Greco (2014): Plaintiff collided with defendant’s car as the defendant was backing out of her driveway. Plaintiff suffered lumbar disc herniation and was treated with therapy and steroid injections. Plaintiff was awarded $38,000 for medical expenses and lost wages.

Jefferies v. Daniels (2014): Plaintiff and defendant collided when defendant made an illegal left turn, crossing over plaintiff’s lane of travel. Plaintiff claimed she suffered a herniated disc in her cervical spine. Treatment was limited to therapy and injections. After a bench trial, the plaintiff was awarded $9,300.

Castillo v. MAIF (2013): Plaintiff was rear-ended at a low speed in stop and go traffic. He sought damages for L4-L5 disc herniation of the central spine which was treated with steroid injections. The final award was $9,300.

Bosley v. Wirts (2011): Plaintiff was hit from the rear on the highway by the defendant and suffered “spinal nerve” damage. He was treated with steroid injections and awarded $41,000 in damages. NOTE: Although this case involved steroid injection treatment, the plaintiff’s injuries may have been somewhat more extensive than a herniated disc. Most cases have multiple injuries which impede the ability to find value by looking at sample verdicts and settlements.

Oh my goodness. It turns out that you can fit a lot more than a truck between a herniated disc surgery cases and one treated just with steroids. I mean, I’ve asked a jury for more just for getting the injections themselves. Have you seen those needles?

These verdicts are beyond awful. I want to say it is a small sampling size, but we found 10 herniated disc injury cases that were treated with steroid injections. I can tell you emphatically, categorically, for-sureedly (new word I just made up for emphasis): these are not representative of our results in these disc injury cases. Look at a few of the Miller & Zois verdicts on this list. I don’t think any of our cases on here were surgery cases.